The Day After The Night
by Fawkes's Tears
Summary: Harry Potter? Of all people, she never thought he'd be the one she'd wake up next to. Sure, it was a little expected, she had fancied him for quite a while...but how drunk had she gotten? Contains references to a sex scene, but no details.Strong language
1. Chapter 1

"Blimey, Hermione, have one more shot!" Ginny yelled. "You've only had ten!" They poured more drinks and poured it down their throats. "Now you've had eleven. It's a good number: prime, the age you start Hogwarts, it should be suitable."

"Oh, but I don't want to stop." Hermione whined.

"Good, 'cause I don't either." She ordered another bottle, this time of firewhiskey. "Oi, I see our little friends coming over. Hi Harry. Ronald."

"Ginny." Ron said. "Who's buying?"

"The whole bar, doofus." Ginny yawned. She poured two more shots and gave them to Hermione. "Why don't you two go have fun?"

They walked off with the shots and another bottle, while Harry sat down next to Ginny, who was pouring them some shots.

"Are you old enough to drink?" Harry asked. "I thought you were only sixteen until next week."

"Early birthday, let's settle for that. Who cares how old I am? No one checks I.D. in this place, and if they do, I've got you three." She raised her glass. "Cheers to that, Harry."

"You're wasted, aren't you?"

"Aren't you?" Ginny asked, looking confused.

Harry leaned in and started kissing her. He lifted her off the stool, still in heavy liplock, and brought her up the stairs, unlocking a hotel room door with his wand, then locking it so no one else could unlock it. He cast a silencing charm and dropped her on the bed. She let out a moan of delight, and he could barely wait. He closed the shutters and lit candles before jumping on the bed and kissing her again.

* * *

"Oi, 'Mione, just about how long have you and my sister been drinking together?"

"We've been out together every night this week. A few Muggle night clubs never did a girl harm, nor did a little liquor." Hermione forgot about the shot glass and drank straight from the bottle.

"I think it would do a bit of harm to a sixteen-year-old girl."

"Lighten up, would you, she's just having a bit of fun. What's the harm of that?" Hermione shrugged. She put the bottle to his lips. "Drink up." She tilted it back, dumping large quantities of alcohol down his throat.

"Happy Christmas!" Hermione called, drinking the rest of the bottle with a waterfall.

"Hermione, it's August."

"Then I must be very, very drunk."

* * *

"Oh, Merlin, how did this happen?" Ginny whispered to herself when she woke up in bed with Harry Potter. She remembered a wonderful night of oral sex, spankings, and horrible, nasty measures of S&M that she knew she would feel for the next week. But she also sat up and felt a splitting headache, probably caused by the scattered bottles of empty and half-empty liquor. Her stirring must have woken Harry, because he sat straight up.

"We…we had…oh god, we did, didn't we?" He said.

"What gave it away? The booze, the bruises, or the fact that we're both naked and in bed together?"

"A combination."

"Good, you look at all the details before coming to conclusions. I like that." She grumbled.

Harry's eyes widened. "You…you're only sixteen. You're not legal yet, are you?"

"Ding ding ding. But it's not like you raped me or anything, I won't turn you in for molesting a minor."

"I wish you wouldn't use words like 'rape' and 'molest' while we're in bed together after a night I barely remember."

"Glad I made an impression."

"Oh, god you did." He moaned. "I was exaggerating. You are…amazing." He turned. "Can we do it again?"

Ginny laughed and kissed him. They found themselves doing it again.

* * *

Hermione woke up in a hotel room. She had a headache like her brain was trying to bust her skull with a heavy rock. Nowhere in her memory was there the way she got in the hotel room, or whose hotel room it was. All she remembered was coming back from a Muggle nightclub with Ginny and going into the Leaky Cauldron for some more drinks before they went home. But then, the next thing she remembered was leaving Ginny with Harry and going off somewhere else with—

She sat up with a start and looked beside her. Ron was, luckily, not next to her, and she still had all her clothes on. She let out a sigh of relief and fell back onto the pillows, keeping her head turned to the side so she didn't choke in case she vomited. Lately, waking up with a hangover was not an uncommon thing, but waking up in a room she simply had no recollection of falling asleep in was a very, very uncommon thing. In fact, it had never happened to her in her whole life, unless she had fallen unconscious and woken up in the hospital, which was only once or twice.

Ron came into the room. "You doing all right?"

Hermione shook her head, remembering how much speaking was painful during a morning hangover, but soon realized that it would probably be better if she just had spoken. Her brain rattled around as she shook her head, and it was painful.

"Do—do you remember how you got here?"

Hermione made a sound, then said, "No clue."

"Well, you were very, very drunk. Like seriously. You could barely stand. You fell asleep on one of the tables downstairs, so I rented a room and brought you up here. Didn't think it would be safe to bring you home." He said.

"That was…" She stopped, almost unable to believe what she was about to say. "responsible of you."

Ron smirked. "How bout some coffee?"

Hermione groaned. "It would be wonderful." She realized it was no longer just her head that was turned to the side, but her whole body. In fact, some of her left side was hanging over the side of the bed. But she was too lazy to roll the other way. Then she realized something else as she pulled the comforter over her. "Where's Ginny?"

Ron's hand slipped and he burned himself. "I dunno. Been looking for her all morning. She's not at home, and she's not at Harry's. Harry isn't even at Harry's." He mumbled bitterly, with an upset look on his face.

Her eyes widened. "You don't think they—"

"I hope not, she's only sixteen!" He yelled, knocking over the sugar bowl.

"Calm down Ron, I'm sure she's fine. And safe." Hermione mumbled. "What time is it anyway?"

"Practically noon." He chuckled.

"Oh, Merlin, do you have aspirin or something, I feel like my head will explode." She whined. Ron looked confused.

"Sorry, I don't have aspirin. Can I get you something else?"

She chuckled. "My dignity, I guess. I'm so sorry you had to do all this. I'll pay for the room. Thank you for helping me."

"Hey, it's all my pleasure. I'll pay for the room, it's the least I can do."

"No, it's the most you can do. You will not be paying for the room as long as I stayed in it. I'm the one you had to do this all for; I see no need for you to have to pay. Go get my purse, I think I've got the money in there to cover it, otherwise I'll give the rest to you once…well, once I can stand."

Ron shook his head, grinning. "Nope, nope, nope. I will pay it all."

Hermione's face was suddenly showing much worry. "What did you do to me while I was sleeping?"

Ron glared at her. "Don't you trust me?"

"Not when you're acting like this, Ron!" She screeched, then covered her mouth and jumped over the end of the bed to the bathroom. Ron raced after her and held her hair back. "You are being way too nice to have a missing sister and be catering to someone with this bad of a hangover."

He grinned. "It's my pleasure to be catering to you. What can I get you?"

"My money sack so I can pay you back."

* * *

"We did it again?" Harry mouthed, incredulous. The woman next to him must really love him. He turned over to see that she was staring at him, a startled look on her face.

"Okay, not that I don't like you, because I really do, but we need to stop this." She said, sitting up and having to fall immediately back onto the pillows due to a terrible headache. Harry ran and got her a glass of water and a bag of ice.

"I've gotten a few hangovers myself the last days."

"Well, it's a time for celebration." She said, half sarcastic.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "This is seriously mad. What are we going to say to your family?"

"They don't have to know."

"They'll get suspicious, Ginny, you've been gone practically twelve hours!"

"Look, my parents have no idea what I've been doing that last few weeks. But they do know I've been with Hermione. And if they don't trust me, they trust Hermione." She said, taking a long gulp of water.

"Ron knows what you've really been doing. If you think he won't get suspicious!"

"He's probably one to talk. You don't know what he's been doing all night with Hermione."

"Probably not what we've been doing!" He said, realizing that all this time he had no underwear on. Ginny frowned when he pulled his boxers on.

"You really are being no fun." She chuckled. "You should calm yourself. Hermione and I'll make up a story, no one will even have to know we met up with you. Lighten up and have some fun."

"You can say that, but you're not the one who has to face up to their friends that he's taken the virginity of their underage daughter and sister. Their _only _daughter and their _only _sister. Eight people, too!"

Ginny hung her head, and Harry swore he could see tears coming to her before she hid her face. "Seven people. Don't you remember? Fred's gone. And they're all grieving over him, too. Why don't you bring that up when you're telling them about your 'taking of my virginity'?" She mumbled. Harry walked over and put a warm hand on her cold, bare shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny. Really, I'm being selfish." He closed his eyes. "So…is he why you've become this person?"

"What person?" Ginny yawned, her eyes closed. "The one who goes out all night drinking illegally and wakes up in bed with their true love? I find the first part a little troubling, but the second part…what's wrong with that?"

"I—Ginny—"

"Save your breath. I don't want to hear any of it." She mumbled, more tears coming, but her eyes were closed and Harry couldn't see them. "I really do love you, Harry. And I for one don't care what my family says. Screw my family. They're too protective of me anyway. Idid a lot at Hogwarts last year, I saw a lot of things that disturbed me. It just made me stronger. I'm not a baby anymore. They need to stop treating me like it." She opened her eyes and stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. "And you need to stop worrying. We'll get through it."

Harry nodded, but said nothing.

This time, she paid no attention to stop him from seeing her tears. "Please tell me I'm not just a one-night stand."

He smiled and kissed her. "Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

"I'm an idiot!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione looked up weakly, her eyelids drooping.

"No need to announce it, Ron, not everyone thinks so."

Ron shook his head. He had a horrible, gruesome expression on his face. "Harry rented a hotel room last night. He wanted to get on-his-ass wasted. I bet they're in there."

Hermione's head was throbbing. "Would go with you, really, but I think standing would just mean falling back down."

"No, stay here. You need to rest. I'll go make sure Ginny's okay." He ran out, while still looking back to make sure Hermione was alive.

* * *

"Shit, someone's knocking." Harry said.

"Well, then open it." Ginny mumbled, half falling asleep. She hadn't gotten this wasted her whole life. Well…

"Is Ginny in here?" Ron's voice came from the door. Luckily they had both gotten dressed. Harry showed Ron over to her, and then said something about getting them tea.

"Hey, Ron. What brings you here?" She asked.

"Oh well you see I'm taking a poll of which one got more drunk: Ginny or Hermione. I'm basing it on their hangover." He kneeled down next to her. "What the hell is wrong with you, you're _sixteen years old_. You still have years to go before you're ready to be doing this."

"Based on what the laws say. But I'm the one drinking. I should know when I'm ready to, and right now I am." She said. "Where's Hermione?"

"Sleeping, I hope. I've been taking care of her all night. And looking for you."

"Sorry I don't check in with my big brother before carrying out my plans. Harry brought me in here to take care of me because he noticed I was a bit over my limit. So here I am." She yawned and snuggled her face deeper into the pillow. "What do you want?"

"Just to know you're okay."

"I'm fine, Ronald, now leave me alone. I don't need your protection. I'm fine." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "How's Hermione?"

"Dreadful. Have you two been drinking like this all week?" Ron asked. Ginny open her eyes for the sole purpose of rolling them.

"What makes you in a position where that's something you should care about? It's my life Ronald, just leave me alone." She turned over. "I can live however I want. You don't see me butting into your life, do you?"

Ron sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry." He stood, but couldn't resist. He sat down on the edge of her bed. "Ginny, please be honest with me. Did you and Harry—do anything last night?"

Ginny didn't start yelling at him. It would just get him angry. But for some reason, she just could not lie to him. "Nothing I will ever regret. But I will regret not asking you if you trust me. Do you?"

Ron didn't answer for a while. When he did, he left it at, "Sometimes, you seem too grown up for me to not worry about you staying my little sister." He got up, and before he left the room, he pushed some hair from her face to behind her ear, running his hand quickly over her cheek. "I really do want you to stay my little sister forever."

"It's not like I can promise I'll never fall in love. For all you know I might already have. But I will be your little sister, and I know better than to keep that from happening." She mumbled and closed her eyes. "Tell Hermione I need to talk to her whenever she's up for it."

* * *

"Seriously, Ron, I will not be answering that question."

"Nothing she wouldn't regret! That's what she did last night! I'm asking you, and I expect you to answer! Would she regret having sex with Harry?"

"I dunno, Ron, but I don't think it's any of your business either way. It's her life, she's the one living it, and she should choose how she does so."

He grunted loudly. "I'm worried about her, Hermione. She's sixteen, out drinking and partying all night long, and then wakes up in a hotel room with the boy she's fancied since she was ten. And to top it off, Fred's just died!"

Hermione sighed. "Did you ever think the latter provoked the former?"

Ron stared at her in silence for almost a full minute. "You think she's like this because of Fred?"

She shrugged. "It's Ginny. Honestly, with her, it's possible she's doing this because last year was a leap year."

"I don't appreciate that." He said warningly.

"Look, Ron, I'm just saying that Ginny's mind works a bit differently. Sometimes I get the feeling even she doesn't know why she's doing something, but the next thing she knows she can't stop." She lowered her voice. "One thing I do know is that she knows how to fix things by herself. And she wants to."

* * *

"Ginny? You—you're crying?"

"Go ahead and sound surprised, but it does happen." She snapped. "I can cry if I want to. You go ahead and try to stop me, you won't succeed."

"Sorry, I just haven't seen you crying for six years. What's wrong?" He asked, sitting down next to her on the bed and putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Everything!" She piped in an uncharacteristically high-pitched voice. With a sniffle, her voice returned to regular pitch. "I've always had eight people to worry about knowing my secrets. I've always had eight people to tell something important to. Now I have seven. Seven!" She yelled. "After almost seventeen years, how am I supposed to get used to that? Fred and George…don't you dare tell anyone else this…they've always kinda been my favorite brothers. But now…it's all gone. Poof. I still have George, but that's not the same. It was always both of them. I miss him Harry. I feel like my whole life had changed just because of it. I don't even know who I am, or what I'm supposed to be."

Harry exhaled. "I—I dunno how to answer that."

Ginny chuckled. "It wasn't exactly a rant one was supposed to answer. It was just a rant." She kissed him on the cheek. He frowned.

"That's it? I'm not just a one-night stand, am I?"

Ginny sniffed. "No. I just don't want to go any further until I really know what's going on. Can we just stay…simple?" Harry nodded.

"You should get some sleep. You look exhausted." He kissed her on the top of her head, and stood. "I mailed your parents, telling them you were safe, but that you wouldn't be home until tomorrow morning. I haven't gotten a response yet, so I believe it'll be your job to come with an excuse why."

"Wonderful. I'm just gonna tell them I got bloody drunk and you took care of me all day. Same story I told Ron. I think my parents'll be glad I'm not shooting up on something."

"They won't be angry at you?"

"Course they'll be angry, I'm sixteen and got a hangover that could kill an elephant. But they'll accept my sob story with no shit." She mumbled, and almost a second later, her eyes were shut, and she was snoring softly fast asleep.

Harry kissed her again, changed into pajamas, blew out the candle, and lay in bed next to her.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley hugged her tightly when she walked into the house. "I've been so worried. What happened?"

"The truth?" She sighed. "I've been lying. I haven't been going out with Hermione the last two weeks." She said, staring off somewhere that wasn't her mother of father's face. "I've been going out to clubs, drinking. A lot. The night before last I met Harry at the Leaky Cauldron after a party and he noticed I was—really, really, really—drunk. He rented a room and took care of me all of yesterday."

"Did you repay him in anyway?" Mr. Weasley said nervously, pointing a finger at her. He had been pacing the floor for her explanation.

"Dad!" She yelped.

He exhaled loudly, then stared at her. "Drinking. Really? Ginny, you've always been so responsible. You're underage. You shouldn't be out all night drinking."

"Three 'really's?" was Mrs. Weasley's dilemma. "What is going on in your mind Ginny?"

"I—" She croaked, hesitating blatantly.

"Ginevra Weasley, answer me right this instant!"

"I don't know!" She yelled, standing up. "Everything's so goddamn confusing, I can't stand it!" She placed her forehead against the wall in attempt to hide her tears. "With Fred…and Harry…and the war…and…GOD!" She yelled, slamming the wall with the side of her fist. "And everything! I just went and did whatever took it all off my mind. It was stupid! I know it was! But it made everything disappear, even if just for a moment. I was having fun again. I'm sorry, really I am."

Mrs. Weasley put her arm around her only daughter. "I understand Ginny. But acting out like this…it isn't the answer. You don't want to do anything you'll regret."

"So now you don't trust me!" She exclaimed, whipping around. "I wouldn't do anything I'll regret, no matter how deep under the influence I am! You don't trust that I wouldn't?"

"Ginny, she's just trying to say that people do very stupid things when they're intoxicated, no matter how much control they think they have." Mr. Weasley said.

She was crying now, openly. "No! No! I would never do anything I'll regret! Never!" She yelled, dashing up the steps to her bedroom.

* * *

"Hermione? Are you all right?" Ron asked. She nodded and shoved money into his hand.

"I will not take no for an answer. Take it, all of it. It's the least I can do, considering you—" She cut herself off, dropped her stuff, and kissed him hard on the lips, her arms around his neck. He kissed back, his eyes wide open with shock.

"What the…are you…?" He kissed her this time. They soon found themselves on the bed together, doing much more than kissing.

* * *

"Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley said, opening her daughter's bedroom door. "Do you want to talk?"

Ginny shook her head, but Mrs. Weasley sat down anyway. "I know you probably don't know, but I first realized I loved your father years after I met him. And the first time we—"

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" Ginny chanted, making retching noises.

"We were both very drunk. But I don't regret what I did."

Ginny sighed and look up at her mother. "I…I had…I slept…with…Harry…" She said, very slowly. "And we had a long, but broken, conversation, about it. I love him, Mummy. And I hope to myself to hell he loves me back, because if he doesn't, I think I may actually do something we'd all wish I didn't."

"I don't know if it's good or bad you feel so strongly." She smiled faintly. "But I would not recommend telling Ron, or your father."

"If I did I wouldn't have to hope myself to hell. I'd be there."

"Look, Ginny, I know how confusing it must be with Fred right now. How difficult. Especially at your age, I couldn't imagine—" She was cut off by Ginny standing and grunting loudly.

"I'm sick and tired of my age! I'm practically an adult! But everyone keeps thinking I'm a baby! I'm so sick of being a baby! I'm the youngest of seven, all my friends are a lot older than me, and there's only sixteen possibilities for anyone in my year at school to be younger than me! It gets a little tiring constantly having everyone believe that you're still a little kid."

"Ginny, we don't believe that. Just—being seventeen doesn't mean you're an adult. You're still a teenager. For quite a few years. Being an adult doesn't come with age, it comes with maturity, with experience. How you're acting right now is not how an adult would handle a situation. If you'd like to calm down and approach this rationally, we talk about it."

Ginny sat down, trying hard to calm down and finding out that it was damn near useless. It was not her ideal time to be calming down. She was in a right state. Every breath made her wonder why it wasn't her last.

"Now, what's bothering you?" Mrs. Weasley asked calmly.

"I'm not a child. Harry freaked out when he woke up next to me. He was terrified because I'm a minor. Ron was throwing a fit because I was in a pub and I'm only sixteen. Hermione's the only one who will treat me like I'm an adult."

"By taking you out to pubs and clubs with her? Sounds excellent, where do I sign up?"

Ginny shot her a look. "I've told you. Doing this made me feel like I have control over something. Everything has just seemed so damn difficult I wanted to be able to say that one thing was controlled by me."

"Did you have to go get drunk and sleep with Harry? Couldn't you have…I dunno…gotten an ant farm or something?"

"Mother!" Ginny yelled. "This is serious."

"I know, it's just—you? Ginny, you've always been so strong. You've always known exactly what you want. And you've always been responsible."

Ginny groaned. "I think I may be more sick of 'responsible' than I am of being the baby. Mother, it all changes. I'm not a child anymore. I'm not exactly the most stable person anymore. I'm not exactly the one to count on to always be responsible, always choose correctly. I'm not so sure anymore. I'm not strong anymore." She gulped, staring off into the distant land of Camimere. "I'm not a virgin anymore." She sniffed, tears coming to her eyes. "I really hope I made the right choice. I love him, but I don't know if he loves me."

* * *

He loved her more than anything he could list off the top of his head. She was better than Quidditch. She was better than all his other friends. She was better than a world without Voldemort. She was perfect. In fact, he would bet she was perfection.

But she was only sixteen.

Perhaps her only flaw. If she wasn't sixteen, he would have that ring on her finger already. If she wasn't sixteen, he'd still be kissing the living crap out of her. If only he could wait one week.

But that was impossible. A week? Much too long. Especially after the night they just had. He loved her. He loved her more than that night. He loved her more than any night. He loved her more than night itself. If he had to choose between breathing and Ginny, he would pick Ginny every time. He would die for her.

_Knock. Knock._

* * *

"Hermione?" Ron gaped. She stared at him, then at her naked self, then sighed.

"Wow."


	3. Chapter 3

_Ron and Hermione, about an hour after the kiss_

"Exactly how did we…how did we get here…together?" Hermione asked. Ron stared at her. He didn't say anything. Just stared at her. "You might want to answer me Ron."

"No, I might not want to answer you. Because if I remember right, you forced me to let you pay for the room, seemed in an incredible rush to get out, then started kissing me. Then…" His back arched oddly and he cracked his neck. "We had amazingly hot sex that I think we should try more often."

Hermione laughed, straddled his waist, and kissed him.

* * *

_Harry Potter, just a few hours after Ginny went home_

"What are you doing here, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked. Harry held up the bag.

"Ginny left a couple things when she left this morning. Thought I should bring them back." He said. Mr. Weasley took the bag.

"Thank you Harry."

"I was wondering if…er…I could see her?"

"Well, she's sleeping right now. Maybe you could try again in the morning." Mr. Weasley smiled, looking polite. But really he wanted to sit Harry down and demand he tell him everything that happened in that hotel room.

Harry smiled. "Okay. Thank you, Mr. Weasley."

He closed the door, and Harry sneaked around to the side of the house. All he could say was thank god Ginny's bedroom was only the second floor as he climbed up the vine. When he peeked in the window, he noticed that Ginny was definitely not sleeping. He knocked on the window. Ginny snapped her attention over to him and her eyes widened. She rushed over and opened the window. In a very low voice, she said, "Harry Potter, what the hell are you doing at my window?"

"Hoping you'll let me in your bedroom, because I don't know how much longer I can hold on to this vine." He said. Ginny pulled him in.

"You are aware of how much trouble we will both be in if either of my parents catch you in here?" She said. "Are you insane? My father is all ready to believe I slept with you, and my mother knows I did…"

"Whoa, she _what_?" Harry said. "Ginny, I thought we agreed that-"

Someone knocked on the door, and Ginny pushed Harry into her wardrobe and jumped onto the bed, opening a book to a random place. "Come in." She said, and her father opened the door. Loudly, to insure Harry heard, she said, "Oh, hi Dad."

"Harry dropped off some things you left." He said, smiling and putting them in front of her. She thanked him. "Now, Ginny, I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Look, I know that you're going through a rough time, and-"

"We've already had this conversation, Dad, and I talked about it for a long time with Mum. Please, can we do this another time? I'm really not in the mood for it."

"Okay. We'll talk tomorrow." He said, standing and leaving the room. Ginny counted to ten and rushed over to the wardrobe.

Harry popped out, Ginny's bra on his shoulder. She picked it up and threw it back in the wardrobe. "That's your excuse? You brought over a small paper bag with my sock and a coffee mug in it to give to my dad? I suppose you asked to see me, also?"

"Yeah. Obviously it didn't work, so Plan B was climb up the vine."

"Spiffing." She mumbled. "Now would you like to tell me the stimulus for Plan A?"

"I needed to see you."

"Why?"

"Because, Ginny, no matter what I said in that hotel room, I want to be with you. I don't care about facing your family. I don't care if they don't approve, or if they try to keep me away from you. I'll find a way to be with you. Ginny, I love you, and I will climb up a million vines and tell the whole world that I do if you want me to prove it. The only thing stopping me from giving you a ring right now is one week."

She stared at him, incredulous, processing all that he just said. Suddenly, she fell into his chest and started crying. "My god, Harry, I've waited for two years to hear you say that. I love you so much."

He grinned and whispered into her ear, "Will you accept an early birthday present? Because I want to be with you until the day I die. Please, Ginny, marry me."

"I'd love to."

Harry grinned. "As soon as you can sneak out, meet me at my flat and we'll go buy you a diamond the size of your hand."

"It could be days until they let me out of their sight."

"Now that I know your answer, I can wait as long as you want."

* * *

_Ron and Hermione…the time hasn't changed_

"Wow…how many times is that?" Ron asked. Hermione, eyes wide, stared at him.

"I think four."

"Damn." He said. It sounded like he was amazed any girl would want to have sex with him four times. "H-how did that last one start?"

"You leaned over to kiss me and I realized you were erect as a pole, so I couldn't resist." She said. Ron nodded.

"At this point I think we're just coming up with excuses to have really hot sex."

Hermione nodded in agreement. She smiled. "You sounded so hot when you said that."

And there they were again.

* * *

_Ginny Weasley, six days later_

"Dad, I really don't want to be patronized for wanting to get out of the house. I just need some time to think, okay?" She said, trying to sound calm. "A lot's been going on. I just want to go for a walk and think things over. And I promise, I'll be home by dark."

"Ginny, it's noon. You plan to go for an eight hour walk?"

"I have a lot of things to think over." She sighed and walked out of the house. Figuring her father would watch her for at least a little while, she told Harry to meet her about a mile away from the Burrow. It gave her time to wonder what she would tell her parents when she showed up after a six to eight hour "walk" with a ring on her lucky finger. Oh, and how she would explain to them that the only thing that convinced her to marry Harry was drunken sex and morning-after sex, plus a hangover that he helped her through.

The more she thought about it, though, the more it all made sense. She loved Harry. Nothing could change that, as far as she knew. And just because it had taken a few times having sex for them to realize it, didn't mean that they weren't in love before. She really realized Harry loved her back when he climbed up the vine for her, and actually risked facing her father.

"Did someone order a ride?" She was pulled into a kiss. Both of them emerged beaming, and they Disapparated.

* * *

_The Weasleys, seven hours after Ginny left for a "walk"_

Mrs. Weasley opened the front door to find her husband pacing. She stared at him. "Arthur? What are you doing?"

"It's seven o clock." He said. "Seven hours ago our daughter went out for a walk to think things over, and promised to be back by dark. I thought she was joking. Who the hell goes for a seven hour walk?"

"Don't panic, Arthur."

"Don't panic? Don't panic! Barely a week ago you told me not to panic when she didn't come home on time because she was with Hermione. Then we find out that she wasn't with Hermione. No, she was with _Harry_ all night. And, she was drunk- if I recall, she described it with three 'really's. She came home two days after she left, admitting to us that she had a killer hangover and Harry took care of her all day. But you told me not to panic."

"I remember Arthur. But I trust Ginny."

"How can you trust Ginny? She's fancied Harry since she first laid eyes on him! She's only about to turn seventeen! She's confused! She's- here." He said, looking at Mrs. Weasley's clock as Ginny's hand moved to 'Traveling' then 'Home'. Seconds later, the door opened, and Ginny came in. Followed by

Harry.

Mr. Weasley stared at them as Ginny casually smiled at them. Harry, however, looked a tad more nervous. Mrs. Weasley's eyes were fixed on Ginny's hand. Mr. Weasley's eyes soon traveled that direction too, and his mouth dropped.

"Ginevra Weasley, what is that ring doing on your finger?"

"Oh. Signifying my undying love to my fiancé." She said, smiling and holding out her left- yes, left- hand. Both her parents were gaping at it, and Harry sighed.

"Subtle Ginny."

"You…you and…"

"Harry." Mr. Weasley finished his wife's sentence. "You and Harry are engaged to be _married_?! Are you mad?"

Ginny turned and put her arms around Harry's neck. "I should handle this. You should go home. I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed him.

"Love you."

"Love you too." She said, and neither of them wanted to let go, but eventually, it got almost too uncomfortable for Harry, because both Ginny's parents were staring at him. He gave her a quick kiss and walked outside, Ginny closing the door after him.

"You really are mad." Mr. Weasley said.

Ginny shook her head. "I'm just in love."

"No, no you're not. This is not love, Ginny. You're just confused. You're not thinking straight."

Ginny smiled at her father, focused on not getting angry. "I am in love. I love Harry more than anyone. And I'm not confused for the first time in almost a year. I'm thinking straighter than ever."

"You are not marrying him."

"I am, Dad. You have no control over it." She said softly.

"Yes I do, I am your father!"

"Arthur, calm down." Mrs. Weasley said. "Ginny, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I love him. I really do."

"Do you fall in love with every bloke who takes care of you when you're pissed? Because then I think you might have a little trouble in your marriage." Mr. Weasley commented. Ginny glared at him. She had it. Forget her focus. She was angry.

"Look, _Father_. If you think that I'm jumping into this you're wrong. I don't love Harry because he took care of me when I was drunk or because I slept with him. Those things just made me realize that I really do love him, and I have for a long time."

Mr. Weasley looked infuriated. "You _what_? Now you are definitely not marrying him!"

"Why, because I've slept with him? You'd rather I sleep with him and run off to marry some random bloke I found in some pub? You've known Harry for years, Dad, and you've never had a problem with him before! What's changing that now?"

"You're jumping into this with no rhyme or reason!"

"No rhyme or reason? How about I love him?" She hissed coldly, tears coming to her eyes.

"You are not marrying Harry Potter."

"I'm marrying him whether I have your blessing or not." Ginny replied, raising her voice. "If you don't want to walk me down the aisle, fine. I have six brothers, I'm sure one of them would be elated to do it." She turned and started walking toward the door. As she put her hand on the knob, she burst into tears, putting her forehead on the door. Mrs. Weasley ran over and brought her to a chair.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I have five brothers!" She wailed.

* * *

_Ron and Hermione, still that one day_

"We did it again, didn't we?"

"I seem to be having déjà vu. How about you?" Hermione asked. Ron nodded.

"And if we don't stop, my penis will fall off."

"That would be tragic." Hermione said. Then she smiled devilishly and whispered a suggestion into his ear. He moaned with pleasure and nodded as she dived under the blanket.


	4. Chapter 4

_The Weasleys, just a few hours after we left them_

Ginny lay on the couch, crying every tear she had. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the other room, talking. Well, yelling, which just made Ginny cry more. She was tired of it. They were fighting because she was getting married. Mostly, she couldn't believe that her father doubted she loved Harry.

Mrs. Weasley came into the room and sat on the arm of the couch. "Ginny, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry I made you fight with Dad."

"Don't worry about it, Ginny. I just want to ask you a few things." She said. "You love Harry, right?"

"Very much."

"And you're positive you want to marry him?"

"I've never been more positive."

"Will you at least wait until you're out of school?"

"I'm not going back to school."

"What?"

"I'm not going back to Hogwarts." She repeated, sitting up. "Fred died there. I'm not going back to the place where Fred died, Mummy. Never."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Okay. I understand." She sat next to Ginny, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Ginny, I know you've heard this a lot, but your father and I married each other on an impulse because the war was going on. We didn't finish school. We didn't have many options for jobs. It was just an idea we had one day, so we ran off and got married. Your father doesn't want you doing the same thing we did."

"But you two have been married for ages. You love each other. You're getting by. Mummy, you had seven children together. You made the right decision, even if it was quick and spontaneous." Ginny shook her head. "I love Harry, and as far as I can see into the future, I'm not making a mistake marrying him."

"I know, dear." She said. "I felt the same way. That's why you've come in luck that your father and I ran off and got married like we did. I know how you're feeling. And I know there's nothing I can do to convince you to not get married. But your father feels differently. He's thinking a little more practically than of love. When we were married, we ended up not being the richest of people. And he's worried that it might happen to you and Harry, and he doesn't want it to happen."

Ginny nodded. "But I love Harry. Money won't stop me from marrying him. Also, it's different. Harry wants to go into the Ministry. Even without N.E.W.T.S., he's the Boy Who fucking Lived."

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said in response to her language.

"Any place would hire Harry Potter."

* * *

_Ron and Hermione…do I really have to tell you?_

"This is a truly special thing." Hermione said. "Not only did I lose my virginity, but I bet not another day will come that I have sex six times and-"

"So much more." Ron finished, a breathy tone to his voice. "How about we order room service for the next hundred years and never leave this room?"

"I think that might raise some problems." Hermione laughed. "How about we order room service for tonight and stay in this room one more night?"

Ron sighed. "I suppose I'll settle for that." He kissed her.

"What do you think Harry and Ginny are doing right now?"

"Hopefully? Not this."

* * *

_Hermione and Ginny, eighteen hours after Ginny showed up with a diamond on her finger_

"Ginny, what's up? Why'd you call me here?"

"I have much, much to tell you."

"H-have you been crying?"

"Don't worry, most of it was of joy."

"Can't tell if that's sarcastic or not, which means…" She sighed, walking over and hugging Ginny. "What happened?"

"Harry and I had sex."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Fabulous."

"And then we got engaged."

Hermione jumped away so quickly she tripped over…well, nothing…and had to look at the ring from the floor. "You _WHAT_?"

"Got engaged! We're to be married!"

Standing, Hermione exhaled. "Now, Ginny, you know I love you very much, right?"

"Right."

"So you know that when I do what I'm about to do, I do it with total love, right?"

"Right?"

Hermione slapped Ginny.

* * *

_Ron and Harry, same day, same time, same news. Guess who pulled the short straw._

"WHAT?!" Ron yelled, standing up and knocking over several things.

"Ginny and I are getting married."

"NO! YOU ARE NOT GETTING MARRIED TO MY SISTER, I ABSOLUTELY FORBID IT!"

"Ron, calm down."

"I WON'T CALM DOWN, YOU'RE MARRYING MY SISTER! HAVING SEX WITH HER WASN'T ENOUGH, WAS IT? YOU HAVE TO HAVE SEX WITH HER FOR _YEARS_ TO COME, DON'T YOU?!"

"CALM DOWN!" Harry yelled.

Ron sat down, burying his face in his hands. "You can't be marrying Ginny."

"I am."

"No. I won't let you."

"Why not?"

"Because she's my sister, I thought I made that clear." Ron said. "I know you're a good guy, and I trust you, but Ginny's just a kid."

"Don't you dare say that around her. She gets upset when someone calls her young or implies it, even."

"She's just turned seventeen. Why are you two getting married now?"

"B'cause I love her." Harry said. "And because she loves me."

* * *

_Sunday Brunch at the Burrow, a day after Ron and Hermione were told _

"You won't slap me again, will you?" Ginny asked Hermione bitterly.

"I'm sorry, but I thought it would put some sense in you. Obviously not, because you still have the ring on your finger."

"I love Harry. More than I've ever loved anyone. I'm going to marry him, and there's no stopping me."

Hermione sighed. "I know. I'm sorry I slapped you. You obviously love him. So marry him."

"You'll be maid of honor?"

"I better be."

"Hey, Ginny, how's the most wonderful person in the world?" Harry asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

"I dunno, how are you?" Ginny asked, turning around and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Cute." He said, kissing her like it was the only thing to keep him alive.

Hermione began to feel uncomfortable and walked away.

"I think we're alone now."

"There's eight people here, we won't be alone for more than six seconds."

Sure enough, Fleur came walking by, giggling. She looked over them, her eyes stopping on Ginny's hand.

"Is zat a ring?"

Ginny nodded.

"You are getting married? But to who?"

"Harry, of course!" Ginny beamed. Fleur's eyes widened.

"What a present for a seventeenth birthday. I never would 'ave imagined such a zing." She gasped, eyeing the ring hungrily.

"Fleur, you have to keep it secret, we were only going to tell everyone today." Harry said. "The only people who know are Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Hermione."

That brunch was interesting to say the least. Mrs. Weasley focused most her attention on trying to get George, whose face was gaunt and who was looking thinner than any of them, to eat. Mr. Weasley focused on Harry and Ginny, making sure they didn't get too close. Ron focused on Hermione, and in turn, Hermione focused on Ron. Fleur focused on keeping her mouth shut. Ginny focused on keeping her left hand hidden. Harry helped by holding her hand in his.

Eventually, Ginny stood up. "Harry and I are getting married."

Charlie choked on his food; Bill went pale. George let out a hollow chuckle.

"Bet you're pretty excited." He said. His voice was deep and scratchy, sounding like it hadn't been used in too long. "Bet you've been thinking all about it. You're going to be together forever, huh?" He chuckled again. "Never going to be apart. It won't last."

Ginny stared at him. "George, don't say that to me. You know that's not true."

"You know that it is." He said. "What, you think you'll be married forever? Say you are. Both of you are gonna die at the same time? Never. One of you will die first. One of you is going to die first. And the other one will be alive, chained to the thought of loyalty to the other. What to do, you'll think. What to do when my spouse is dead? What if I fall in love with another? What would they say if I wed again? You'll spend the rest of your lives in a dark, decaying battle for survival."

Ginny screamed. Most people covered their ears, squinting at the power in it. She kicked over her chair, shouting, "I HATE THIS GODDAMN FAMILY! I HOPE YOU ALL ROT IN HELL!" And then ran in the house. Harry ran after her, calling her name.

"We should do this again sometime." Bill said, clearing his throat.

* * *

_Harry and Ginny, in her room, not even two minutes later_

"Ginny, let's talk about this." Harry said, sitting on the bed next to her and stroking her hair. She had her face in the pillow, her arms underneath, pressing it closer to her.

"No." She said, lifting her head. "I don't want to talk about it. My whole family thinks I'm making a huge bloody mistake when all I want to do is marry the man I love!"

"Come on, Ginny—"

"Just go away, Harry, I don't want to talk about it. Fleur acted like I was a baby, Hermione slapped me, for godsakes, Dad threw the biggest fit in the world, Mum preferred I got an ant farm, and George thinks we won't last!"

"An ant farm?"

"I told her that sleeping with you made me feel like I was in control of something for once and she asked me if I couldn't have just gotten an ant farm instead." Ginny mumbled. Harry laughed.

"She's just—"

"Didn't I tell you I don't want to talk about this?"

"You're right. Okay." Harry said. "But I just want to tell you that Ron accepted it. His only problem was that I was a bit older than you." He ran his finger up her spine, giving her chills. "I love you, Ginny."

"I love you too, Harry. I love you more than I love anyone else on this whole planet, and I never want you to forget that." She sobbed. Harry nodded.

"I promise." He kissed the back of her head. "I'll leave you alone."

"No!" She said suddenly, reaching out a hand and grasping his wrist. "Don't leave me. Please, don't leave me."

He kneeled next to her stroking her hair. "I'll never leave you, Ginny."

* * *

_Mr. Weasley, George, Bill, Charlie, and Percy…soon enough to the announcement that they were all still pale_

Bill paced the floor and Charlie had his head buried in his hands. Percy was staring out the window and George was staring at nothing. Mr. Weasley was sitting in his chair, legs stretched out onto the coffee table, looking all too calm.

"How can she do this?" Percy said. "Just so suddenly?"

"They were dating in her fifth year, his sixth. You were too much of a prat to keep contact, so naturally you wouldn't know a damn thing, now would you?" George said. Charlie looked up from his hands.

"George, don't mention that, okay?"

George went back to staring at nothing. Bill paced more, sighing. "What's going on in their minds? She's just turned seventeen. How long have they been waiting for this?"

"Who knows?" Mr. Weasley said as Fleur entered the room. Bill turned to her.

"Well?"

"I went up there to check on 'er, and she ees crying right now. 'Arry ees wiz 'er. 'E ees comforting 'er. Perhaps eet would be best eef you all talked to 'er. She seems razer hurt." She said. Charlie ran his hands over his hair.

"How hurt?"

"Charlie, she ees crying into 'er fiancé's shoulder right now! 'Ow bad do you zink eet ees?" She asked, raising her voice and glaring at him.

"Bad?"

"Worse zan bad! Eet ees 'orrible! She ees 'urt and eet ees your fault! Not only zat, but she ees your sister! She deserves better from you zan what she ees getting! Do you not agree?" She yelled, turning to her husband. "Bill, when we were to be wed, and your family seemed razer annoyed, you were hurt. Do you realize zat zis ees ze same thing? Bill zey are in love. Nozing can stop love. You know zat. What zey are doing ees no different from what we were doing, or from what your parents did. 'Ow can you be so hypocritical to stand 'ere and complain?"

"She's my sister, Fleur. It's different. She's my baby sister, and he's…"

"A great friend."

* * *

_Hermione and Mrs. Weasley, after hearing what Fleur said to the men_

"When'd she rehearse that?" Hermione mumbled. Mrs. Weasley laughed.

"She's right, you know." She said. "There's little difference in what she and Bill did. I tried to tell Arthur that he was being so insincere to tell off Ginny for wanting to marry Harry."

"I'm glad Ron understood. I don't have any magical stories like that to convince him."

Mrs. Weasley laughed. "If I hear right, it sounds like you needed more convincing than he did."

Hermione shrugged. "My two best friends were getting married. My two best friends slept together. Ginny tells me both these things after I am called there for a reason she wouldn't tell me. I thought it was a big joke, you know? It seems like one of those things Ginny would do. Play everyone to believe she and Harry are getting married…but then I saw Harry… I couldn't really believe it. I thought she was raving mad, marrying Harry. She's just so young."

"I know." Mrs. Weasley sighed. She repositioned herself in her chair and stared at Hermione. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What?"

"You took my daughter out drinking?"

Hermione stopped, looking up at her and laughing brokenly and uncomfortably. "She told you that, did she?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "You took her out to clubs and bars and bought her alcohol?"

"I…um…If I hadn't…Harry and Ginny…wouldn't be…together!" Hermione said, snapping her fingers at the discovery. "If I had not taken her to the Leaky Cauldron that night, she and Harry never would have met up, they never would have slept together, and she would not have that ring on her finger."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Good point." She smiled deviously. Hermione's stomach felt like it was falling off a cliff. "Now…what about you and Ron? How did that go? I know he took care of you, like Harry took care of Ginny, but did he take care of you _just_ like Harry took care of Ginny?"

Hermione stared at her for a while. "I think I hear someone calling my name. Coming!" She yelled, dashing out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

_a/n though I doubt you want to hear my sob story, I am sorry this update took so long, it was only because I got fired from my job and evicted from my place for throwing one too many wild parties that the police had to break up. Since I am single, my parents hate me, and I have no friends that can afford for me to stay with them, I am living in a motel room and working as a waitress at a local diner. It seems I am financially secure enough to be a lease holder, but no landlords trust me enough._

"Ron, we're in trouble." Hermione said. Ron cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.

"And why exactly is that?"

"Your mother just questioned me about what happened in our hotel room when what happened in Ginny and Harry's hotel room was happening." Hermione said, being a little too much of a prude to actually want to say what they did out loud. She was still a little embarrassed to think about it.

Ron looked confused for a second before his face paled and his jaw dropped. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her I heard you calling for me and had to leave."

"Hermione!"

"I'm sorry, Ron, but have you ever tried to lie to your mother?" Hermione snapped. "Frankly it's quite terrifying, especially when she's _smiling_ like she was. We've been so close all these years I couldn't bring my heart to a position where I could lie to her, even given the situation." She narrowed her eyes, glowering at a skeptical Ron. "Don't look at me like that! You know that if you were trying to you couldn't lie to her either!"

"Yes, but that's different. She's my mother. You're not familiar with it, being a daughter, but it is in a son's natural way to be positively petrified by his mother. Trust me on this, Hermione. I grew up with six brothers and a sister. Ginny was always way braver around Mum than any of us. Mothers and daughters have this connection. But sons don't. We are raised to be utterly horrified with the thought of facing our mothers."

* * *

_Ginny's bedroom. Harry still hasn't left her, the staunch little bugger!_

Someone knocked at the door and Harry stroked Ginny's hair, kissing her temple and whispering in her ear, asking if he should let them in. Ginny nodded, sniffing. Harry stood and walked over to the door to find Bill there, looking quite nervous, with a blush creeping into his face. When Harry raised an eyebrow, Bill cleared his throat.

"Bill," Harry said loudly and emphatically so Ginny could hear. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" He cleared his throat again, and his neck twitched, like he was going to look around to someone but stopped himself. "I wonder if I could come in? I- er- want to talk to Ginny…" His voice trailed off slightly. Harry turned to Ginny, who sighed, but nodded nonetheless.

Bill walked into the room and sat next to Ginny on the bed. She sat up against the wall, wiped her tears away, and looked at him. He stared for a long time at her splotchy, red face, and she looked at his scarred face. Both of them felt a pang of guilt, and Ginny spoke, looking away from Bill and at Harry.

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" She sniffed, and Harry nodded, kissing her quickly on the cheek and walking out of the room. Ginny looked back at Bill.

"What do you want?"

"You love him, don't you?" Bill said, staring at the door that Harry had disappeared through. "You really love him."

"No shit I love him. If I didn't love him I wouldn't have agreed to marry him. It's not like I woke up one day and decided to tick the hell out of my brothers by announcing my engagement to some random bloke that I wasn't even going to really marry. I love him, I really love him."

"Ginny-"

"You're being a real hypocrite, too!" She sobbed. "All that crap you went through with Fleur and you won't even cut me and Harry a little slack."

"I'm the hypocrite here? You're the one who didn't even give Fleur a chance and now is expecting me to stop obsessing that my sister came home one day with a ring on her finger after only dating a guy for a week!"

"First of all, I didn't know Fleur! You've known Harry years and you've never had a problem with him before he got involved with me! And second of all, I didn't just come home engaged after dating Harry for a week. We talked a lot about this, and we love each other, Bill, we really do! It has nothing to do with how long we've been together. We've known of our feelings a long time. If you can't realize that I love him then just get the hell out of my bedroom!"

"Of course I realize you love him-"

"You just don't want me to marry him?"

"I just want to make sure-" He stopped, unsure what to say next.

"I knew it." Ginny hissed. "Get out, now!"

"What?"

"You don't even want to be here, do you? The only reason you're in here is because Fleur made you come in and talk to me, isn't it? I can't believe this family. A bunch of hypocritical, cynical, uncontrollable gits who won't accept a little spontaneity. Just get out, Bill."

"Ginny, you're seventeen years old-"

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?! YES, OKAY?! I'm seventeen, but that doesn't mean I don't love him! Love is love, age has nothing to do with it! What does it matter if we get married in two months or two years?! Our love won't change!"

* * *

"If anyone feels so inclined to talk to Ginny, I would recommend you wait a few hours or what could possibly be several years." Bill said, walking downstairs. Harry groaned.

"Bill, what the hell did you do? She was just starting to calm down. I have to go talk to her." Harry said, running upstairs, past Ron, who was pale-faced and wide-eyed.

"You talked to Ginny?"

"Well, she more yelled. I think I've gone deaf in one ear…"

"Now you know how I feel."

"Shut up, George, we don't need pessimism right now." Charlie snapped.

Hermione walked downstairs, and all the Weasley brothers' faces turned to her. She looked at them. "What?"

"You're a girl!" Ron exclaimed.

"Not this again." Hermione mumbled as the brothers nodded and murmured in agreement. "Yes, Ronald, I am a girl." And then she whispered, very quietly so only he could hear, "I thought you were convinced when you saw me naked."

Ron went from white to maroon and tried to hide his embarrassment while he explained to Hermione what her mission was. "Well, _anyway_, I was hoping for you to talk to Ginny. Maybe. Possibly. Say yes?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, Ron, I'm not fixing this for you." She turned to the Weasley brothers. "You upset her, and now you have to clean up your mess. I'm not going to do it forever." With no response from the brothers, she groaned. "You. Hurt. Ginny. Badly. She's getting married, for christsakes, no matter how much she denies it, she wants all your blessings. It's one of the biggest steps in a woman's life. She wants you to accept it. But instead you gawked at her and asked her if she was joking. You're angry at her for doing something she really wants to do. I know it may seem spontaneous, but I talked to her for several years about boys, and she's loved Harry for much longer than you think, she just took a long time to realize it. And not just a little schoolgirl crush. She really loves him, and you should try to think about that before you go off at her next time."

"She's seventeen, Hermione!"

Hermione nodded. "Sometimes it's hard to believe she is, isn't it? When you look at her, you don't think of her as Ginny, do you?"

There seemed to be a collective murmur of confusion through the crowd, and Hermione sighed.

"You think of Ginny as your baby sister, don't you? Every time you see her? She's tired of it! You're at it every day! If you'd stop treating her as a little sister and start looking at her as Ginny, maybe this wouldn't be as hard as you're making it. Pretend Ginny wasn't your sister. Imagine for a moment she's your friend. Would you give a damn she's getting married under the circumstances she is?"

* * *

"Harry," A voice came from the doorway of Ginny's bedroom, where Ginny and Harry were speaking in hushed tones. "Arthur and I would like to have a talk with you."

With a long glance at Ginny and a kiss pecked onto her forehead, Harry stood and walked past Mrs. Weasley into the hallway. Ginny beckoned her mother closer. With a deadly look on her face, Ginny breathed, "If you do anything to him, I swear to Merlin-"

Mrs. Weasley stared back at her daughter, a smug look on her face. "Nothing to worry about, dear." She walked to the doorway, then stopped. "But in the mean time, Ron wants to talk to you."

Ginny let out a groan that must have broken the sound-barrier as her brother walked into the room. "Hey, Ginny." He said.

"I don't want to talk to you, Ron. Send that message to any of our other brothers that feel so compelled to speak to me. And stop sending Fleur up here to check on me, as well."

"Ginny, this is important." Ron said, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Please. I-I think I'm starting to realize how you're feeling."

"Oh, are you? I'm so glad! In fact, I'm going to forget all the shit you've given me thus far and throw my arms around you and make sure Harry asked you to be his best man!" She said sarcastically, bitterness weaved through every letter.

"I know, I've been a jerk. But I-I kind of love Hermione."

"There's no 'kind of' when it comes to love, Ronald. You love her or you don't."

He looked into Ginny's fiery eyes. "I choose the first one. I love her, Ginny. And I know how you feel. I want her in my arms and I don't ever want for her to leave. But just because I want that to happen, it doesn't mean I'm going to go marry her. You're just looking to satisfy this feeling. And marriage isn't the answer yet. Maybe in a few weeks, maybe in a few months…then you'll know."

"Just because you and Hermione feel differently than me and Harry doesn't mean that I shouldn't get married. You're telling me that marriage isn't the answer for your test. But it is for mine. It is for Harry. You've known Harry for years, you've known me my entire life!"

He sighed. "And you're a great match for each other. I trust you two. But marriage is a giant step, and I don't think you're ready. I think your feelings toward him are ready, but I don't think you as a person are ready. You still have a lot of things to do. And if you marry him, you're just going to be attached to him by a string for the rest of your life. Where you go, he'll go."

She smiled. "I don't give a rat's ass, Ron."

His gaze into her eyes broke by him closing his eyes. "Damn. I still know what you mean."

When he opened his eyes again, Ginny tilted her head and looked into them. "You slept with Hermione, didn't you?"

His eyes widened and he looked at her. "H-How did you-?"

She didn't answer the question. Her face was serious, her eyes hard. "Then you must realize that there is no confusion when it comes to this. I love Harry. You love Hermione. There are no questions. There is no doubt. It's how you feel. Let me ask you something. Do you think your feelings about Hermione will change? Ever?"

He stared at her, his gaze unwavering. "No. I love her. That won't change. Why are you asking me this?"

"So you will realize that just because our feelings on marriage are different, our feelings on love are the same. I will never stop feeling this way for Harry. So whether I marry him today, tomorrow, or a century from now, my feelings will have only increased."

"How important is it for you to marry Harry? Why can't you just wait? Why do you need to have a ring on your finger just to know he loves you and you love him?"

Ginny stared at her brother, incredulous. After a moment, she lifted her left hand, showing the glinting, glittering ring to him. "Every time I look at this I will know Harry loves me. I will know that no matter where he goes, no matter what happens, his love will stay true. This ring means so much more than that we're husband and wife. And I need it to be official that our love stays."

"Why? Why can't you just take his word for it?"

"Why are you trying to keep me from doing this?"

"I don't want you to feel like you have to spend your whole life chained to one—"

"I want to spend my whole life chained to one person as long as that one person is Harry!" She roared. "You want only the best for me, and Harry is the best! He's the greatest, most wonderful person on the whole fucking planet and if you can't realize that then you're a foul friend!"

* * *

"I hope Ginny's okay." Harry said under his breath. Mrs. Weasley turned to him.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"I love her, Mrs. Weasley." He said. "I really and truly love her. I want to spend my whole life with her and that's why I proposed. I'm sorry, I didn't want to start all this trouble. I didn't think there'd be anything wrong with falling in love with her."

"Arthur knows, now. He knows what you two did in that hotel room."

Harry took a deep breath and tried very hard not to be embarrassed. "We did nothing we should be ashamed of. We're in love. All- We were just showing it to each other."

"You should stick to that story when you're talking to Arthur. He loves the topic of unabashed casual sex."

"It wasn't casual sex. We really care about each other. And I'll do anything to prove that I love Ginny. Give me anything you have, and I'll take it."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I don't doubt you love her. You don't need to prove it to me. It's the fact that Ginny is a very loved person. She has a lot of people who are very protective of her. You need to get past them before you have full blessings on this wedding."

"You know, I'm starting to question whether or not I want that." Harry said. "If they can't accept that we're in love…but Ginny really wants them to accept it. Forget what I just said. It means a lot to Ginny. I want her wedding to be perfect. Just how she always imagined it."

They reached the living room, where Mr. Weasley was sitting. He gestured toward a chair across from where he was sitting, and Harry sat. Mrs. Weasley sat on the couch next to her husband, so she too was facing Harry. The latter tried his very hardest not to appear nervous.

"Harry, it's not that we don't trust you." Mr. Weasley said. "I cannot pick a better husband for my daughter. But you are very young. You have no idea what the future holds. Do you know where you want to be in ten years?"

Harry sat back in the chair, looking at Mr. Weasley with full attention. After a few thoughtful moments, he said. "With Ginny."

They did not respond.

"My whole life has been planned since I was one year old. I had to defeat Voldemort. I was the only one that could. Now that I'm not a death note, I'd like to settle down. I've had enough adventure. And who better to settle down with than the one I love? And that just happens to be Ginny. So whether I'm working behind a desk at the Ministry or playing Quidditch I don't care. As long as I'm with Ginny, I'll be content with anything."

They still said nothing, so he kept talking.

"And as for money, I have enough where I can retire and my kids can retire without any of us working a day of our lives. I want to use that to make Ginny as happy as she can. I want to love her and give her anything she needs and anything she wants and then some. As long as Ginny is happy, I'll be happy. I want to make her as happy as I can."

They exchanged a look, but didn't say anything.

"Mr. Weasley-"

"Harry." Mr. Weasley interrupted. "Don't you think it's about time you call me Arthur?"

He sat up, stunned. "Uh- I- er…"

"Marry Ginny." Mr. Weasley said. "Marry her and be happy."

_a/n yay, happy ending. I can't promise updates. I'm currently contemplating moving out of the country to a more…tolerant place. Hopefully I'll update sooner than last time. Sorry again that it took so long._


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